Deftones and Dillinger Escape Plan in Boca Is Not Such a Weird Matchup After All

Deftones fans in South Florida get an unusual treat this spring: the second visit by the band to the tricounty area in less than six months, after a previous multiple-year absence. (Before last August's show at the Fillmore Miami Beach, the band had last visited the area during the 2006 Taste of Chaos tour stop at Pompano Beach Amphitheater.) Chino Moreno, Stephen Carpenter, and company will arrive in the decidedly unmetal city of Boca to headline a gig at Sunset Cove Amphitheater on Sunday, May 22.

The second biggest surprise of the announcement is the band's selection of opening act, the 100 percent insane mathcore lunatics Dillinger Escape Plan. The New Jersey quintet specializes in an unpredictable brand of stop-and-start, off-time sonic fury, coupled with a live performance that (these days anyways) stops just short of this side of danger.

At first, it seems like a weird matchup for the Deftones, who are heavy as hell but always melodic and whose shows are, compared to DEP's, almost mellow. Except that it's not -- an examination of the band's past touring track record shows that the band has usually brought along unexpected, lesser-known acts.

Yes, this probably confuses the small faction of fans who still pine for the band's nü-metal days, but Deftones have long been genre-straddlers who've appealed to open-minded thinkers. Just see that last Miami show, for instance, which brought a rare big-stage local performance by Savannah swamp-metallers Baroness, who left some scratching heads but others happily head-banging by set's end.

And actually, though Dillinger Escape Plan can't properly be called a hardcore band in any way anymore, the act originally came out of that scene -- one the Deftones have mined frequently over the years for tour support. As far back as 2000, the band tapped Glassjaw for an outing, while three years later, it picked Thursday, Thrice, and Miami's own Poison the Well. (It took Thrice out again in 2007 too.)

And, hey, did we mention Puciato sometimes (though, admittedly, not that often anymore) breathes fire?

Boca may never again see another heavy music show after this, but screw it, baby -- slash and burn! Take no prisoners!

Tickets go on sale Friday, February 4, at 10 a.m. through Ticketmaster, so visit a real-life location, visit ticketmaster.com, or call 800-745-3000. Act fast -- the two Deftones shows announced in New York have already sold out, and the Boca gig should sell briskly as well.

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